‘Big John’ Fury has completely changed his tune on Jake Paul in the days before his son Tommy takes on Paul this Sunday. Here's what John had to say on the matter in the press conference yesterday:
Paul and Fury are set to settle a beef that has been rumbling on for several years now, which has included two cancelled fight dates and dragged various members of both camps into its orbit.
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To be fair, John Fury doesn’t need asking twice to get involved in a boxing feud, but he leaned pretty hard into this one, even making some wholly unnecessary comments about Paul’s girlfriend, Julia Rose.
Now, with the big fight just days away, the hype train has shifted a few gears with both camps making their closing statements before the talking ceases and the real stuff gets underway.
In an interview yesterday, Paul said that he’d ‘decapitate’ Fury, with Fury agreeing to a ‘double or nothing’ bet on the outcome of the fight as well.
Given the size of the purse, that’s a big bet to make.
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However, in amongst all this, there were some strange statements from John Fury, who appears to have come over all sentimental.
At one point during the conference, he even said ‘good luck’ to Jake Paul, who he described as ‘a nice kid’.
He added: “What can I say, intelligent boy for the age of him and without him we wouldn’t be here, so Jake Paul – thank you very much.”
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Then, when asked about his comments saying he admired Paul – despite the fact that he’s removed his shirt and threatened to deck him before now – Big John said: “I’ve got nothing against him, I’ve got children older than him.
“I’ve got a granddaughter that is nearly his age.
“I mean him no animosity at all.
“We’re in the fight game [and] it’s our duty to promote the fight and that’s what I feel I did.”
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He concluded: “The talking is over, the best man will win, and I know for sure it’s going to be TNT [Fury].”
Well, regardless of John’s confidence that Tommy is going to emerge victorious, it’s going to be a close one.
The bookies make Paul a slight favourite, but in truth any bet is a complete guess because we simply don’t know enough about the pair as fighters.
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Tommy – unbeaten in eight fights – has never fought under this pressure before, with his previous opponents having not been any great shakes.
Jake – unbeaten in six pro-bouts – hasn’t even fought a professional boxer yet, taking on basketball players, YouTubers, and retired UFC fighters in his short career.
One way or the next, someone’s reputation is going to take a big hit once the eight rounds are up on Sunday, and there will be some real soul-searching done for either fighter after that if they’re on the wrong end of it.
Topics: Jake Paul, Tommy Fury, Boxing, Sport, Celebrity
Tom Wood